Factions · The series

• V.I.L.E.Carmen Sandiego's criminal syndicate — the Villains' International League of Evil — and the antagonist organisation of every game.
• ACME Detective AgencyThe international investigative agency the player works for, dispatching detectives to chase V.I.L.E. and recover what it steals.
• The faces of ACMEThe Chief, the warrant clerk and the field agents who work your side of the desk across the series.
• V.I.L.E.: one acronym, several origin storiesThe initials never change, but how Carmen Sandiego came to lead V.I.L.E. is told at least three different ways across the games and their spin-offs.
• Inside the ACME bureaucracyHow the games actually describe the agency behind the badge — an unnamed chief, a shared computer, and a quiz standing between every detective and the next promotion.
• Interpol and the case fileWhy the warrant that closes every case comes from Interpol rather than any local police force.